A Broken Spider
by wunderr
Summary: A frail society, brittle and almost shattered, trying to support the weight of order and chaos. That's the world that Chrollo Lucilfer finds himself in. And even in that situation, humans still struggle uselessly against an unavoidable fate. Perhaps it's in this futile clash where he will finally find his purpose, as humanity loses its own.
1. Chapter 1: No one

Chapter 1: No one

* * *

Chrollo Lucilfer slowly opened his eyes. A single white star on a black canvas welcomed him. He stared at it, hypnotized by its rhythmic surges in intensity. It throbbed and pulsated like it was alive, like a heartbeat. Then, suddenly, it flickered out of existence. He widened his eyes. A very familiar smell invaded his nose, bringing forth flashes of his past, of childish memories and obscured faces. He sat down and, after a quick survey of his surroundings, sighed in wistful realization. He was on a dumpster in an alley, surrounded by trash. That explained why it smelled like home.

He stopped himself from further thinking about his hometown. There was something more important to figure out. Where was he exactly? How did he end up here?

He jumped out and silently landed on the ground. Two medium-sized buildings were encompassing the narrow trash-filled street, with a barely functioning street lamp turning on and off every few seconds. He tried to remember the sequence of events that might've thrown him into this situation, but for some reason, he couldn't recall anything. What did he do yesterday? Or the day before? Nothing came to mind. His surprise was soon replaced by a growing frustration. No matter how much he tried to concentrate, nothing came to mind. He furrowed his brow. What happened to him? There was a fog in his mind keeping his short-term memory hidden. Perhaps he suffered a concussion…? He looked up towards one of the building's roof. Did he fall down and hit his head?

He shook his head. There were too many unknowns to conclude anything yet. Then, it occurred to him that he remembered his home. How far back could he go? He sat down with his back to the green dumpster and closed his eyes.

The furthest memory he was able to access was filled with innocent laughter, as he played around with two people whose faces or names he couldn't recall. The smell of home. Trash and vultures. He found a book under a pile of broken and rusty mechanical parts. It was incredibly hard to get to, but it was worth it. Although he couldn't understand a single word written on the yellowed pages, he was able to learn. Eventually, he taught himself how to read and then his eyes were opened to the immense world he lived in. He was free. Limitless potential, too many options to analyze. The stories that once appeared unattainable to him were within his reach. He no longer had to hide in his imagination. At that moment he decided to become someone. To try and live as a human. He chose the name Chrollo Lucilfer in honor of the main characters of two of his favorite stories. He tried to be like them- No, he became them. He played the part until it became a part of him. Until it wasn't enough...

His body felt cold and his extremities grew numb. This hollow feeling. This was exactly why he didn't like to ponder the past. He opened his eyes for a moment and found himself sweating profusely. His breathing was labored. He raised a trembling hand and stared at his palm. Just who was he? A borrowed identity from two nonexistent characters? Wrong, a _stolen_ identity, which he continued to use and hide behind. He wasn't free. All he did back then was deceive himself because he was afraid of the truth. He was no one.

He noticed that he was continuously punching the ground, though no pain registered in his mind. Blood dripped from his knuckles to the concrete, but he couldn't stop his arm from striking down once more. And again. And again. His body moved on his own.

He was no one.

But that couldn't be it, right? There had to be something more, a meaning hidden underneath. There had to be. Why was he alive if there wasn't? Why did he exist? What purpose did he serve?

He had to have a purpose. Every single person had one and he was… he was…

'You think you're a human being? Don't make me laugh. Every single one of us, born in this godforsaken dumpsite, we're nothing. Our value is less than trash. You think I'm wrong? Let's see, what are your parents' names? Do you remember them? A person needs to have parents, you know? What about a family, do you have one? No. A home? No. Belongings? You've stolen everything you own. What do _you _have that makes you a person?'

Why…? Why did nothing came to mind? What was his answer!?

His fist cracked the ground and the following noise brought him out of his stupor. He looked down at his right arm currently embedded in concrete and found himself in shock. The way the ground cracked resembled something. A web.

He gripped his head when an annoying headache overrode his senses and took several deep breaths, as well as halting his thought process for the time being. He was beginning to feel exhausted. Using the back of his uninjured hand, he wiped his brow and concentrated on nothing but the sound of his breathing and the sensation of his lungs filling with air.

Once he calmed down, he struggled to open his now heavy eyelids. Everything looked blurry. He shook his head multiple times, trying to stay awake. He couldn't fall asleep. Not until he found out where he was. Wait, where he was? Unconsciously, he covered his mouth with his left hand as he thought. If he had no recollection of anything that had happened in the last few days, why was it important to find out where he was? Why did he think he wasn't supposed to be here when he had no idea where he was supposed to be? He took another look around and found the answer. For some reason, this place didn't feel right. It was… wrong. He couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why it felt wrong, but it did. Thus, he needed more information.

He stood up with a goal in mind; to get out of the alley and ascertain where he was. Certainly, there had to be more people. Perhaps it would help him remember- His head throbbed in pain and he had to stop thinking for a few seconds. He sighed. What a troublesome situation. Before he left, he took one last look at the hole he punched in the ground. Why did that random pattern seem so familiar? What did it mean? He pushed those questions to the back of his mind for the time being. He didn't want the headache to return. Wiping away the blood that still flowed from his wound, he began to walk.

It wasn't long until he heard the distinct noise of cars and he left the alley. The first thing that took his attention was the countless buildings with big, colorful screens that illuminated the street in total contrast to the dark place he left behind. Soon enough his eyes began to hurt from the brightness and he had to look away, just in time to avoid crashing into a middle-aged man who was too concentrated on his phone to notice him. There were multiple people walking, way more than he expected. Perhaps it wasn't as late as he thought? His eyes darted from side to side, taking everything in. He didn't recognize the place, but it was a city. How big he couldn't say yet and judging by how relaxed, and even careless, the people he saw were behaving, it would suggest that he was in a low crime rate zone.

"-zing, I tell you, amazing. It was like once in a lifetime experience, I swear," he heard a pair of women talking as they passed him without a glance and he decided to follow them. He had spent enough time standing in one place and he didn't want to appear suspicious.

"Lucky! Man, what I wouldn't give to see him in action. But at the same time, doesn't it sound scary? I mean, if he appears then it means the situation is dangerous," the other woman replied.

"Mmm, I suppose you're right. I didn't give it much thought, I was just, y'know, living the experience. Pl-"

The women took a left turn and he kept walking straight. He had to find a place where he could listen to conversations, ideally with several people, without raising suspicion. A plaza or a park. Perhaps he should ask. At the very least everyone seemed to speak his language.

He turned to search for someone who looked like they would answer for directions, but froze. He saw his reflection on the glass of a closed store and a kid with grey piercing eyes stared back. His black hair framed his pale features and his clothes were torn, ragged and dirty. It was him. But again, it felt wrong. For some reason, there was something out of place, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. He felt the headache coming and reluctantly stopped thinking about it. This was getting annoying. He hurried the pace.

In a few minutes he found an adequate spot for gathering information. It was a small plaza with a fountain in the center, circled by a good amount of what he assumed were food establishments if the tables outside were any indication. He counted more than thirty heads with a single glance, less than ten sitting around the fountain. He approached and sat on a stone bench near a tree, and immediately looked straight up into the night sky, sharpening his hearing to the max.

"-orry but I'm busy tomorrow, I forgot to tell you. I'm really sorry!"

"-ever you do. It's just a warning. I can see it, so please act accordingly from here on out."

"How am I supposed to know!? Just say it straight! It ain't that hard!"

"-vely, yeah thanks. Honey, could you bring me another glass of water? Perfect."

"-ow what to do, I feel like I've failed them somehow. I know it's not my fault-"

He sighed. This wasn't such a good idea after all. He needed a different approach. Again, the idea of just asking flashed in his mind, or kidnapping someone who was alone and then disposing of them. The latter seemed like it'd give him the most information, but he wanted to lay low until he knew for sure there wasn't a threat. Furthermore, he didn't know the layout of the city and he had already counted at least four hidden cameras in his short walk. He would have to plan it well.

At that moment, he felt eyes on him. He didn't react whatsoever on the outside, seemingly enjoying the cold breeze. However, his muscles tensed like springs, ready to engage at a moment's notice. It took him less than a blink to find the source of his discomfort. Orange hair, teenager, wearing glasses and a green, oversized jacket. It didn't appear like she was carrying weapons, but she could've been hiding them beneath the jacket. Still walking in a straight line towards him. By the way she moved he could tell she was inexperienced. He was sure he was hiding his presence, so how did she find him? Was she some kind of tracker? Since he couldn't feel any ill intent he remained sitting, waiting for the girl to make her move.

"It's you," she finally said, a few feet away from him and… sniffing the air? When he heard her voice he regarded her and was slightly surprised to find her grimacing in disgust. Did he know her?

"... were you looking for me?" he asked, adding a little bit of confusion to his voice.

"Looking for you!? Dude, I don't know how to say this so I'm just gonna give it to you straight, alright? You stink. It's absolutely horrid. I was trying to enjoy one of my favorite- no, scratch that, my favorite dish after a stressful day when suddenly I have to run to the bathroom to vomit because someone decided to stop showering for some reason. When was the last time you even touched water!?" she said, her voice sounding nasally as she pinched her nose tight.

Well, he woke up in a dumpster so that didn't surprise him. Did she have a hypersensitive nose? That could prove useful. It was able to detect him, so it was good enough. What to do with the owner, though? What was she expecting of this encounter? How could he deal with her?

"I'm truly sorry!" he said while bowing down, his voice dripping with honesty. He looked up at her and found that his tactic had worked, she had taken a step back with a surprised expression. He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile, "I should've been aware, rummaging through a dumpster and all, I didn't think it would bother somebody else. So, I'm sorry for being inconsiderate!"

"Rummaging…? Why would you…?" the teen trailed off, probably because she realized the implications of the statement, but he was already prepared for that. Based on how she acted, how she spoke and her small reactions to each word he said, he had begun assembling an image of her personality. She was so easy to read. The painting just kept getting clearer.

"No, no, that's not it!" he said and waved his left hand for emphasis, "This is a little bit embarrassing, but I thought I heard what sounded like a cry inside a dumpster. The second time I heard it I was certain there was something, and before I knew it I was already inside, throwing bags out. It didn't take long to reach the bottom and… I found a small kitten. I guess my nose got used to the smell quickly and the fact that I dived into a dumpster didn't quite register in my mind. Again, I'm really sorry."

The girl looked at the ground, still pinching her nose, with a conflicted expression. Such an honest individual. It was like every single one of her emotions surfaced and played with her features in a way that amazed him. Did she truly feel all of that? He recognized a bit of disbelief, so perhaps she didn't buy the lie as well as he thought. Was she also playing a character to fool him?

Another thing that amazed him was how easy he elaborated the lie in such a way that a person like her, or who he guessed she was based on her attitude, would believe it and lower their guard. But… why did he do it? Her guard was already down. He didn't question the decision to lie, it just came naturally to him, almost like a reflex. He knew what to do.

The girl spoke and brought him out of his mind before he could further analyze his decision. "It's fine, I guess. I didn't know. I-" she stopped and bit her lip. Maybe a sign of guilt. So, she probably felt glad that his reason for smelling like shit wasn't because he was homeless or because he had to scavenge for food, things she didn't consider before she approached, and then felt guilty for feeling like that in the first place. She was being mindful of her words because she didn't want him to realize this. An earnest girl that took action and spoke her mind, but often didn't consider the situation or the consequences; as such, she was usually portrayed as being the aggressor. "I'm sorry as well," she said quietly.

That's exactly why he had apologized for being inconsiderate, to play to her insecurity. He smiled, "Hmm? You said something?"

"N-Nothing, I said that it's cold as hell," she said while looking to the side. This was… fun. He found it extremely interesting, though a bit easy. This was part of who he was. Understanding others, understanding humans, was essential to understanding himself, "By the way," she added after a pause, with a grave expression he wasn't expecting, "Do you want to become a Hero?"

The question took him by surprise, enough for a tiny bit of confusion to seep through his controlled mask. A hero? Where did that come from? He slowly shook his head, "No, I don't want to be a hero. The reason I did what I did was simply because I wanted to. That's all. Plus, we're a little bit old to play hero, don't you think?"

The girl stared at him, her amber eyes glued to his own, intensely searching for… deceit? He could tell that the question was important to her, but why? Why would she use the word hero with so much weight behind her tone? She wasn't joking, at least as far as he could tell. Then, she grinned and lowered her arms to her sides, before she sat down to his right, "That's such a relief!" she exclaimed and laughed at his confusion, "Come on, you must know what it feels like to be surrounded by wannabe heroes all day! Sometimes I think it's like a sickness. Oh by the way, I completely agree with you. You don't need to be a hero to do good deeds, it's just that everyone translates good deeds as heroic demeanor. I wish I could drill some sense into my lil sis head, but it's useless I tell you, useless! If only she had more than three neurons, but that's too much to ask, ain't it?"

He was lost, but trying to make sense of her words. Was she talking in code? Perhaps she mistook him for someone else. Wannabe heroes? What was that supposed to be? Why was she so adamant about the hero topic? It didn't make sense. Maybe the word hero didn't mean what he thought it meant.

"Now that I think about it, you look around her age… Oh, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Kasumi Kendo, and you are?" she asked cheerfully, a drastic difference from a few minutes ago. Now she seemed to be very friendly and easy-going.

"Chrollo Lucilfer," he said while lost in thought, staring at her face. Even when he correctly identified a lot of her thoughts and emotions, there was no way he could've predicted this outcome. So strange, yet so fascinating at the same time. She was so simple, but at the same time so complex. He wanted to dissect and analyze her. Maybe she held the answer he sought. Somewhere, deep in her mind. He just had to probe until he found it.

"Chrollo Lucilfer," she repeated with some difficulty, "Chrollo. That's… odd. It's a foreign name, right? I thought you were from around here since you have no accent..." His desire to know intensified by the second. He needed to get her to a secluded place, where they could talk with no interruptions and where nobody could find her body. But that was risky, wasn't it? He glared at the camera that surveyed the plaza. He could probably convince her to follow him, but where would they go? The only thing that came to mind was the alley where he woke up, and he could avoid the cameras he saw on his way. Yeah that was it. He could barely contain his excitement.

"Carrot head?" a female voice he didn't recognize called from his left before he was able to say anything. He almost attacked on reflex. How? He didn't feel her presence at all, he didn't feel her approaching. He took a quick glance. Long black hair, arms crossed, exasperated, no weapons in sight, absurdly open to any attacks. Just another teenager. He released a breath he was holding, "What are you doing?"

"Mmm?" the orange-haired teenager turned to face the intruder and recognition dawned on her. She wasn't alone. He clenched his fist out of sight. "Oh, right. Um, meet Chrollo! I was just talking to him and I, uh-"

"You forgot about me? Classic," the other girl interrupted, but despite her words he didn't detect any disdain behind them. Her features were locked in place so it was hard for him to read her, but there were some subtle emotions leaking. That and she hadn't taken a single glance at him. "I saw you storm out with _that_ look on your face, so I decided to wait it out. When you didn't come back I realized you were in some kind of trouble." If the way her friend spoke was any indication, this kind of event happened frequently to them, and she was probably referring to the face she had when she arrived to tell him that he smelled like garbage. That's the stubborn drive he saw, a purpose so strong that she could do nothing to stop herself. He wanted to know what it was, where it came from, what made her that way.

"I didn't forget, I just got distracted," she said while puffing out her cheeks.

"And this is your distraction, I take it?" the other girl said, looking at him for the first time with a single eyebrow raised. One single look was all it took and he knew it'd be next to impossible to follow through with his plan. She didn't trust him, not one bit. He could get her to trust him, but it'd take time and he needed her now.

"Chrollo, my pleasure," he said, keeping his anger as far away as possible. As soon as he finished speaking he gritted his teeth.

"Mio," she said with a small nod. Mio. How could he gain her trust? There had to be a way to do it quickly, before it was too late. Mio. She probably was a close friend, so their personalities probably complemented each other. Mio was serious, calm, she had to be. She most likely helped her friend out of conflicts by keeping a cool head. Protective. Sharp enough to notice certain things her oblivious friend could not. Booksmart. She had stars on her necklace and on her earrings, so she probably enjoyed astrophysics, or space in general. Quick, he had to find something he could use. She wore a long-sleeved, plain, teal shirt and black leggins on black shoes. No design anywhere. There had to be something he could use! "It's getting late, it's time to bounce."

No matter how much he thought, he concluded the same thing over and over. If he tried to delay it even a single minute, Mio would never trust him, regardless of what he said. He had known it as soon as they made eye contact. This was a futile struggle against the inevitable. "Really? Come on, let's stay a while longer. I just met Chrollo and… I think you'll like him! He doesn't want to be a hero either!" the orange-haired girl said and it immediately gave him hope. He realized that he didn't need to convince Mio to stay, his approach was wrong. He just needed to convince her. If he managed to appeal to her stubborn side, then it was his victory. He only had to bait her.

"Yeah, I may look like I'm homeless but I assure you I'm not," he said while appearing as laid back as possible and at the same time slightly embarrassed, "We were having a fun conversation about heroes. There's much to talk about. Surely, you can join us for a little while longer?" He didn't need to turn his head to know that she was begging Mio with her eyes. They kept staring at each other for a few seconds longer until… he noticed Mio's shoulders slumping forwards.

"Alright, alright, let's stay a bit longer. Allow me to join," Mio said, finishing her sentence in a mocking tone, but nonetheless walking closer. The girl to his side threw her fists up in celebration and laughed. He joined her with a laugh of his own. Wonderful. Now, onto phase number two. He was going to show them the kitten he had found under the trash, to make them follow him. And finally, he was sure they wouldn't disappoint. He had a lot of questions to ask, about themselves, their opinions, their beliefs and about this place.

A high-pitched alarm interrupted them. They froze in place. It was coming from Mio's pockets. A ringtone. She pulled out her phone and answered in quick succession, "Mom?" He couldn't understand what they were saying on the other side of the line, but he guessed it was important due to the urgent tone and Mio's crumbling expression, "Okay, I'm going right now. Love you," she hung up and sighed heavily, "The gnome fell down and broke his arm. My parents are taking him to the hospital."

The orange-haired girl gasped and stood up at once, "No way… are you kidding? You serious?"

"Yeah, sadly," Mio replied, her even tone betraying a bit of what he thought was excitement, "Dunno what happened exactly, mom didn't say much."

The teenager looked at him. He didn't know what that expression meant, "I'm sorry but we must go. Mio's little brother… well, you heard her. Can we… can we hang out some other time?" Was that fear? Anger? Joy? He couldn't tell.

The girls quickly walked away. Did they figure him out? How? When? His hand reached out towards them. The orange-haired girl suddenly spun around and said, "I'll be waiting!" with a tone that could only be a mix of disgust and hatred, before they disappeared into a small crowd. He lowered his hand and stared at the ground. They… they realized he wasn't human.

_Don't go._**  
**

* * *

Kasumi Kendo was practically jogging next to her best friend on their way to the train station when a beat-up bus accelerated next to them and blew out black smoke to their faces. She immediately covered her nose while waving her free hand to clear the air. "Come on! Really?" she said and coughed a couple of times, "I had to forget my facemask today, didn't I?"

Instead of an answer, she heard Mio made a noise that usually meant she remembered something. She hoped the dark-haired girl had read the trains' schedule correctly, since she knew her mind got in disarray when she was worried and there was nothing that could worry her more than her little brother. Damn, she should've checked the schedule to make sure, "About that," Mio said, "Wasn't that guy the one that made you run to the bathroom to vomit?" Oh, Chrollo? That's right, the guy's stench was unbearable. It made her eyes water. Where was her friend going with this? She nodded slowly, unsure, "Yet you were sitting right next to him, without covering your nose."

Had she? She didn't notice it. Looking back though, it was true. At some point the rancid smell stopped bothering her. She supposed she got used to it. Or her interest got picked, that as well. She turned to Mio and found her green eyes pinning her down. She was giving her _that_ look. Kasumi felt heat creeping up her cheeks and her gaze lowered to the ground, "I-I suppose I got used to it," she sputtered, "It's all mental! Like you always say, see? I c-can ignore it, doesn't bother me! Smoke? Whatever dude, don't care. Ha ha."

Mio simply stared at her, not amused in the slightest. Ugh. She would never live this down.

"Hey! We're gonna miss the train!" she exclaimed and stormed off, not waiting for her friend to react. Ugh, stupid Mio. It wasn't like that. She had better control of her emotions nowadays.


	2. Chapter 2: Flawless

Chapter 2: Flawless

* * *

Korin cursed the heavens as he ran. Not a single one of the weather channels he followed had said anything about the heavy rainfall currently pouring down on him on their forecasts. What the actual hell. At least he was thoughtful enough to pack his black raincoat on his bag at the start of the week. In fact, with this kind of wind, he didn't know if an umbrella would've been able to do its damn job.

He almost slipped as he skidded to a stop in front of Java's Cafe, but luckily he managed to find some balance before he fell. What an eventful morning. Hopefully, that meant that starting now the day would get better. He climbed a set of steps that led to the Cafe's entrance and that thankfully had a roof, and placed his bag on the wooden floor in order to remove his coat. Freed at last, he messed his short brown hair with his hand and yawned. The sound of raindrops hitting the street and the ceiling forced an image of himself, lying comfortably in his bed, wrapped in blankets and sleeping soundly. What a life. Hopefully, it rained soon, but late at night. That'd be great. He looked at his bag but decided to wait a bit before starting his workday. After all, his legs were sore from running.

He walked to one of the tables near the Florren Plaza and sat down. Watching the rainfall was calming. He also enjoyed the unmistakable and familiar scent that accompanied it. It was so curious, like what was it? It was always the same smell.

Although his vision was clouded by the rain itself, something caught his attention. A blurry figure. Was it a new statue? It was sitting down, unmoving on a bench under a tree. No way they made it so fast, or he didn't notice they were working on it. Weird. He yawned and brushed what remained of his sleepiness with the back of his hand. The figure was gone. He brushed his eyes again and checked. There was nothing there. He looked around, but he was completely alone.

Did he imagine it? No, he was sure he saw it. He shivered. When did it get so cold? He quickly turned to look behind him, but there was no one. Only the sound of rain. He gulped. He stood up, the pain in his legs forgotten, and searched for the keys of the Cafe's door. Time to work.

* * *

Chrollo Lucilfer's body moved on instinct. As soon as he felt eyes on him, he abandoned his position and left. He didn't know how much time had passed or what was happening around him. He simply walked on autopilot with an unclear destination.

Ethereal shapes and colors blurred together. There was something he **needed** to say, but he didn't know how to express it in words. It was a desire so strong that he couldn't keep it in. Just like her. In order to stay alive, he needed to find a way to say it, and above all, he was a survivor. Eventually, he found out that he could say it with his actions.

A dark-gray sky welcomed him. Raindrops tapped at his face and trailed down. His clothes were soaked. It took him a second longer to realize where he was. The same alley where he woke up. Following that realization, he noticed that his heartbeat was out of control and clutched his chest in pain. He put his back to a wall to prevent himself from falling. What could've gotten him so agitated? He didn't-

Oh, he remembered. Orange hair. That girl with fierce eyes. Their conversation. His pulse accelerated and he forced the images out of his brain for now. Empty mind, calm yourself. He slid on the wall until he was sitting down and closed his eyes. After several minutes of deep breathing, he opened them again. That was better, he felt in control.

When he stood back up again what had been a heavy downpour was replaced by a drizzle. He had much to think about, but he wanted to do it in another place. He glanced up. In a couple of inaudible jumps, he was on the roof of one of the two buildings that formed the alley.

He wasn't able to see that far due to a fog that covered the city, but as far as he could see there were huge, towering buildings on one side and small houses on the other. He wanted to see more, but he supposed he had to wait. There were a couple of sun rays visible through the clouds at the horizon, as the dawn turned to day. He sat down on the edge and watched. The silhouettes of birds flying across the landscape, the sun slowly crawling above the clouds, the sky turning to shades of blue, orange and yellow. A small smile found its way to his face. He enjoyed the moment for as long as possible until the emptiness consumed him once more and cold eyes regarded the city.

A question popped in his mind and he quickly established a theory that explained it. Why did it feel so bad, when he was certain this was how he normally felt? Because of the encounter he had a few hours ago. He was sobering up after an overdose of emotion. And it was time to analyze what had happened.

The girl… he didn't remember her name, but her face immediately came to mind. And those amber eyes, filled to the brim with meaning- he wanted to know much about her, about her mentality and her motivations. But she was a simple, innocent girl. How did she leave such a strong impression? Was it because she took him by surprise, because she had found him when he was hiding his presence? Or was he so desperate for purpose that he latched onto the first thing available? Either way, he still wanted to ask her a bunch of things and eventually he would find out what intrigued him in the first place, or so he predicted.

However, he needed to be more careful. He somehow got so distracted by her that Mio managed to get next to him. He grabbed a side of his head. At that time he was so entranced by his thoughts that he lowered his guard. That was incredibly foolish. If meeting her again was going to be his short-term goal, he needed to stay sharp. He was still in unknown territory. About that… how did she find him? She said she had smelled him from afar, so her nose must be inhumanly sensitive. Or she was lying, though he doubted it. Could it be a mutation of some kind? Whatever it was, it was a good ability. He stared at the wound on his right hand. Was she able to smell his blood? She didn't say anything, but it could've been overshadowed by the other stench.

Her nose meant that he needed to take a bath before he saw her again, and the rain probably wasn't enough. She would get suspicious if he arrived wearing the exact same dirty clothes. He flinched, remembering her parting words and the tone she used. Hatred and disgust. That had to be a misinterpretation from his part because her words were rather friendly. They hadn't found out. He was safe. He exhaled in relief. By the time they find out he will be a person, he decided. A human. Someone. Indeed, she was a simple girl, but she was still human and overwhelmingly so. He just had to find out what made her that way.

Additionally, he was aware of the irrationality in this course of action. Logically speaking this wasn't a good idea. And that was exactly why his desire to follow it through was so intense. Something was calling to him and he would discover what it was.

He leaped off the roof and landed on the alley. First things first, he needed to take a bath and find new clothes before nighttime, when he supposed the girl would arrive. He already had a plan, but carrying it out in one day with no previous information increased the chances of failure. Nonetheless, if there was someone able to accomplish it successfully, it was him.

At that instant, he saw something sparkling in the corner of his vision and as he turned, he saw it again. He walked closer and crouched beside a puddle. There was a golden coin under the water. He took it out and studied it. It had some weight. On one of its sides, it had the depiction of a web, and on the other, there was an image of a twelve-legged spider. The engravings had depth, he noticed when he trailed a finger on top of it.

As he clutched the coin in his hand, he felt a strange connection to it. The coin hummed in agreement. It _belonged_ to him. It was part of him. It felt… familiar. He hissed and closed an eye in pain at the sudden headache. The humming grew louder. An image was forced into his mind, an image of the coin flipping endlessly.

'Heads or tails?' someone had told him, somewhere down the passage of time. A faceless someone that he once knew. Its voice sounded distorted, 'I'll throw the coin and whoever wins gets to decide. Let's leave it to chance. That way there won't be any feelings involved unless you're a sore loser.' Were these his memories? They felt so far away. How many years had gone by? 'Why leave it to chance in the first place…? It's easy and quick. We may discuss the pros and cons of our plans until one of us reluctantly agrees to follow the other or we can simply toss a coin. Besides, this means that neither of us is above the other. We're equals.'

He took a sharp intake of breath. We're equals. The words echoed in his mind. A mix of feelings he didn't know how to describe coursed through his being. A contradiction. He liked it and disliked it at the same time. It was confusing. He didn't have any equals, he didn't _want_ any equals. Yet, he craved it. Why?

His pride refused while his loneliness begged. Was that the reason he wanted to be human? So he could have equals? Wrong. For starters, what kind of equal was he thinking about? To say you were equal to another, first you had to pick a trait for comparison and that trait had to be measurable. Height and weight were easy, but things like knowledge, strength, status or power… they were harder to quantify. Still, it was possible. But what about personhood? Not all humans were equal, but they were all equally human. How did you quantify that specific trait? How? He glared at the spider depicted on the coin, demanding an answer. It responded with silence, as expected. He placed the coin in his pocket. Hopefully, in a matter of hours, he would be able to reach a conclusion and finally settle the uncertainty that plagued his mind. Time to hunt.

He left the alley, walking south towards the suburban houses he saw at the roof.

Two hours later, he had finally found an ideal target. He remained hidden as he watched a middle-aged man wearing a suit hastily locking the gates of his home. Said man ran past him, muttering something about being late, oblivious to his presence. As soon as the man was out of sight, he moved, sticking close to the walls. It had taken a while, but he was almost certain that the man lived alone. The thing about this kind of zones was the fact that most of its occupants were families with children, and more often than not one of the parents stayed home while the other worked. In cases where both of them worked, they frequently left a family member behind to watch the kids or hired somebody to attend to the house. Therefore, it was uncommon to find an empty residence.

He easily climbed the fence and, as soon as his feet touched the lawn, darted to hide under the window next to the front door. The medium-sized house had two floors, so he planned on clearing the first one before he moved onto the second.

If he had the option he would've stayed near the alley and aimed for an apartment, but it was hard to check if there was anyone present without infiltrating first. If he had more time, he would've chosen that alternative, because it was rather simple once you had identified a potential target and memorized their routine. However, given his circumstances, this was the better choice.

He hugged the side of the house until he was at the backyard, next to a sliding door. He hadn't heard anything. He peeked inside and observed the living room. The lights were off, the coaches vacant and the kitchen barren. He gently pushed the door. It was unlocked. Great.

Originally, his plan consisted of finding a property on sale, and he had found it. Three of them. However, they all had multiple people inside. He could hear their footsteps inside the building, walking around. He didn't spare a second to consider it at first, but the third time he realized something. A detail he was dumb to overlook. Today was a working day. Following this realization, he slightly modified his plan to take advantage of it.

He entered the house through a narrow opening, wide enough so he could sidestep in, and slid the door close behind him. He scanned the dark corners. There was no surveillance equipment, he was certain now. Good. In less than five seconds he cleared every room on the ground floor. There was no one. He made his way towards the stairs and climbed to the second floor. Again, he checked every room. Empty. He had secured the property for the time being. It was his. He relaxed.

His search had taken him to a rather run-down part of the suburbs. The buildings looked older and unkempt. That would usually translate to a lower price, something that a single person could potentially afford. And it seemed he had deduced right.

A flawless operation. Although the risks had been minimal, he knew it wasn't the best course of action. Regardless, he had succeeded. He made his way towards the main bathroom. How many times had he undertaken similar actions, he wondered. Too many to count. His body knew exactly how to move as a product of endless repetitions. He took off his clothes and stared at his pale body reflected in the mirror. Every muscle on him had been perfected to perform a single task; to steal. In that cursed and beloved place where he was born, he had to steal in order to survive. Of course, they didn't call it that. They didn't have a word for it. It was their undisputed currency. Everything was fair game as long as you were strong enough to take it by force, or sneaky enough to take it and escape without being seen. He learned of the word _thief_ from one of his books and it took him two years to find what it meant. An old man had explained it to him in exchange for food.

'A thief, huh? 'aven't heard that in ages. It's a popular word they like to throw 'round on the outside. Ya', I remember. When I... ventured on the outside I was called that many, many times. Ya' have to understand som' 'bout the outside. They… trade paper for all kinds of things. All kinds. Food, water, shelter, weapons, it all has a value in paper. Ya' follow me? And when they trade paper, ya' can't take those things away. Well, ya' can, but they'll get mad and call ya' a thief. 'Cause those things belong to 'em. Once they trade paper, ya' can't take it away or they call ya' a thief and punish ya'. Oh and lemme tell ya' som' else! About the outside. Ya' interested? Only for an extra ration, what do ya' say? Good, listen well. There's a special word for a thief that steals som' that has unmeasurable value in paper. A thief that steals a life ain't a thief no longer. They call 'em murderers and they punish 'em worse. Hah, unmeasurable value they say. I would sell my life in a second for a night with an outsider woman again... Kid, I know that look in ya' eyes, 'ave seen it before. Ya' need to understand som'. They think too different from us. Ya' will be happier if ya' forget 'bout it.'

"You're right, old man," he said aloud with a hint of a smile. Even so, he remembered that as he heard those words he was distracted by the sheer emotion in the old man's eyes, an emotion he had seen only in the eyes of those who left and came back. It was so easy to spot them amongst the lifeless, calloused and cold gazes of the rest. It only served to push him harder towards his goal. He shook his head, "Perhaps I should've listened."

He turned the shower on and closed his eyes as the water washed away the filth in his hair and body. He was both a thief and a murderer. That and his love for books were the only traits he remembered he had before he had taken the persona of Chrollo Lucilfer. If he wanted to survive, he needed to steal. That was how it worked. If he was weak, he would get killed and they would take everything he had. He wanted to live, to see the world he always fantasized about, thus he stole and murdered. Was it wrong? Should he have allowed them to take his life instead? Was that… what a human would do? No. He knew it was false. Because there was a difference between society's expectations and humanity's nature. He had seen it with his own eyes once he ventured out. Most of them pretended to be better than they really were. Most of them attempted to hide their true faces. Why? Because they were afraid. They didn't want to accept the ugly side of being human, they would rather pretend it didn't exist. Was that what he needed to do? To let go of the only things that made him something other than a stolen persona? Could he make the choice? He didn't know.

A hollow feeling spread from his chest to the rest of his body, and there was only one thing keeping the sinister, grim and somber sensation at bay. His desire to meet her again. He clenched his fists. Soon. _Just hold on for a bit longer._

When he turned off the water the skin on his palms resembled that of an old man and the steam blurred his surroundings. He was about to dress, but a sudden thought stopped him. Right, he couldn't wear the same clothes or this would've been for naught, as the smell would stick to him. He opened the door to the master bedroom and took a couple of plain items. A dark tank top, a pair of gray pants and black sneakers. They didn't fit properly, but they would do until he stole new clothes, which was the next step to his plan. He grabbed his dirty shirt and ripped six strips to serve as bindings, and hid them in his pockets. Perfect. Onto phase two.

Before he left he looked at the kitchen. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to eat something, but he wanted to leave as few hints as possible. He shook his head. He would eat something later.

After leaving the suburbs he returned to the city and blended in almost perfectly into the crowd. Almost. Most people were wearing jackets and long-sleeves while he pretended to be cold with his tank top. Another detail he had overlooked. Perhaps his theory of falling down and hitting his head was true after all, it would explain his memory loss and his recent stupidity.

He kept pace with the multitude while drawing a map of the city inside his head, every so often spotting cameras and marking their location and angle, besides looking for a clothing store. It wasn't long until he found one.

He ignored the store's name and pushed the door open. Several people were shopping and the workers seemed to have their hands full, running around the shop. That was ideal. He glanced at the security guard to his side and saw him yawning. What a joke.

Less than five minutes later, he came out wearing a black jacket with white fur details on the hood, dark pants and boots. A dark, purple scarf wrapped around his neck and hid most of his lower face from view. Another flawless execution. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride, though he could've done it better.

After walking and exploring the city for hours, he finally arrived at the plaza where he met her just as the sun was beginning to set. He quickly surveyed the area, hopeful to see her orange hair, but sadly she hadn't arrived yet. There were more people than yesterday. At that moment the streetlamps turned on. He supposed he could eat while he waited.

"Table for two?" the woman standing outside the cafe asked him with a fake smile and a fake tone. He despised talking to people like this woman. Why did most find it enjoyable, he didn't understand. It was obvious that the workers didn't enjoy it either. He smiled back with his eyes.

"Nope, just me," he said. The woman handed him a menu and motioned him to follow. The place was filled with couples, so that explained her initial question. They all had their backs wide open, like they didn't care if they got attacked. Like they didn't expect to get attacked, he corrected.

"Would you prefer to eat outside or inside?" the waitress asked, spinning in an exaggerated manner to face him.

"Outside is fine," he said while looking at the plaza, "A table with a good look of the fountain would be perfect." The woman nodded enthusiastically and quickly sped up to a table on the corner overlooking the whole area. She pulled a chair out for him and he sat down while mouthing a quiet thanks.

"Just call me when you're ready to order, mkay?" she said and left.

As soon as her back was turned his eyes darkened for half a second, but he shifted his gaze towards the menu. He wasn't feeling hungry, however, he would be stupid to not eat right now. First, he didn't know when was the last time he ate. Second, he didn't know when he would be able to eat again. Third, he had already stolen money in order to pay for this. So, he would eat. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He didn't want to, though.

The waitress ran back and placed a glass of water in front of him, "Are you ready to order?" she said with the exact same smile, down to the finest details. That had to be a talent.

"I'm trying to decide between the All Mighty Burrito and the Endeaburger. What do you recommend?" he said and lowered his scarf in order to drink.

"Do you enjoy spicy food?" she said and he shook his head, "All Mighty Burrito!" she exclaimed while throwing a punch to the air, "Coming right up!"

He nearly spat his water at the display. Was that woman for real? No wonder her smiles were so forced if her employer made her do those things, she had to have a thick external layer to continuously do this all day without showing any hint of anger or embarrassment. Or perhaps she did enjoy it. He looked at her, laughing as a customer told her a joke, and noticed she had auburn-colored hair that stopped at her shoulders. No, it was clear she hated her job. It was a hunch. Well, enough of that. He turned to stare at the plaza, specifically at the crowd of people walking on the street. Soon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall creature and his senses abruptly concentrated on it. A threat? Did it escape? It was walking among the crowd, but there was no panic. In fact, a few people seemed to be… speaking to it? They were laughing as the tall, crystal-like creature moved its mouth to talk. What? He focused on the creature and recognized at once that the way it walked resembled that of a human. He rubbed his temples. Although its form was imposing, he was unable to feel any ill-intent coming from it. A mutant of some kind perhaps, or an experiment. Nobody reacted to it, so that meant they either didn't see it or they were used to its presence. The fact that not a single person gave it a sideways glance managed to worry him a little bit. Was it some kind of popular creature? He doubted it. It seemed like those kind of creatures were common. A second after, he noticed a horn on a person's head. Next, it was a tail.

He took a deep breath. It wasn't that those specific creatures were common; rather, there were different abominations. He hadn't noticed, but now that he had, he couldn't stop seeing different... things. Then, it clicked. Her hypersensitive nose. It was probably some kind of mutation, but where did they come from? Genetic experiments? A product of radioactivity? What a troublesome, _troublesome_, situation, yet he couldn't help but smirk. Just where the hell was he? He flexed his fingers under the table. Hopefully, she knew all of these answers. He heard footsteps coming his way and discreetly turned. It was the waitress, holding a plate.

"Here's your All Mighty Burrito," she said as she presented the dish, her grin never reaching her eyes, but she faltered slightly when she saw his face. Shit. Was something wrong? "Oh my, you are way younger than I thought. Sure you can cover the bill?"

"No worries, I've got enough," he laughed, relaxing back into the chair, the smell of his food reaching his nostrils. He wasn't hungry.

"Mmm, still, it's your first time coming here, right? I don't remember your face," she said while staring long and hard at him with playful light-green eyes. What was her game? Engraving a new customer's face to memory? Yeah, but there was something else.

"You're right, I just moved in here. Quite perceptive," he said, faking amazement in his voice.

"Oh my, you also know how to use fancy words, what a cutie. Anyway, I'll leave you to enjoy your food. If you need anything else just call me, mkay?" she said and winked. Oh. That was it. Was it? Probably. She was trying to ensure he would return to this place, seeing him as an inexperienced teenager that would easily fall for her charms. So, an appropriate response would be…

He looked down at his food with a faint blush. Underneath her smile, a smug smirk flashed for a second, one he easily noted. Yeah, that was it. Her motives were rather obvious and shallow. The more clients that preferred her, the more money she would make on tips, the quicker she would be able to quit. So, what she wanted was money. The real question was, why? What did she want it for, and what she planned to do afterward. She probably hadn't thought that far ahead. As he watched her carry four plates on each of her arms while displaying plastic emotions, he couldn't help but feel jealous. Why did most humans push themselves through things they hated over and over again? Because they had no other choice, right? That was their fate. Their purpose. And they were essential to the functioning of society. They were needed. _He wasn't_. He took a bite of his burrito and almost retched. The food was okay, but he didn't feel right. He forced it down. _He didn't belong here_. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Calm down. She would be here soon and he would discover his purpose. He was going to find the answers and become human. _Soon._ He had to hold on.

Suddenly, he was sitting on the stone bench, the same one as yesterday's. Did he pay for the food? He hoped he had. He didn't remember. Surely, he must have. If he didn't, then it would be harder for him to see her again. He looked to his right. There it was, the cafe where he ate. What did he eat again? He couldn't remember. However, everything seemed normal. There were multiple people eating. He saw a familiar shade of auburn-colored hair and recognized the woman as the waitress. He remembered her. Fake smiles. At least it wasn't a fake persona. He held his head between his hands. Don't lose control. Deep breaths. She would arrive soon. She said it in a tone filled with disgust and hatred. No, that wasn't right. He misinterpreted it that way. Then why wasn't she here? She… she must've figured it out.

One by one, people were leaving the plaza. Minutes ticked by. He remained frozen in the same spot, his fingers intertwined and shaking imperceptibly. His eyes were glued to the pavement. A glimpse of auburn hair jolted him awake and he twisted his neck in that direction. He seemed to start breathing again. He stood up, watching the waitress hugging another woman and then walking out of sight. Could it be… perhaps she would be able to answer some of his questions- but what if she came while he was gone? No, she wasn't going to show up. She realized what he was planning and told him that to trick him. She saw through his facade. But what if she wasn't able to come today? Perhaps he should wait- a cold hand gripped his heart and he gasped. He couldn't wait. He _needed_ to know. Moving as calmly as possible, he walked in the opposite direction.

In the footage of the camera that recorded it, it looked like Chrollo had merely tumbled in his step for a second before continuing on his way.

An instant after leaving the camera's range, he disappeared from view, moving as fast as possible and without making a single sound.

In two seconds he was on top of a building, watching the waitress walking and trying to predict the route she intended to take while judging the perfect spot for contact. _If she takes a right there, I'll wait for her in this corner,_ he thought, visualizing his mental map of the city. He held his breath as she approached the turn. She kept walking forwards. Next try. _If she takes a left, then I'll drop down behind her_. She turned right. Come on, come on. He needed to approach before she arrived home or it would be too late.

_Take a left and I'll hide behind the dumpster._ He didn't blink as he studied her form. _Do it._

She neared the corner. His legs tensed. This was it. Veins popped out of his flexing hands. She turned to the left. He widened his eyes. She took out her keys from her purse and walked towards the door right next to the corner. There was a camera pointing right at her. He ducked out of view.

* * *

Kimi Ebina sighed in relief as she took out the keys from her purse. For some reason, a bad feeling had settled in her stomach for the entire night, but she was finally home. Finally out of work. Was that what they called intuition? She could feel that something was wrong. Shivers had coursed through her back as soon as she had left that damned plaza, but they stopped as soon as she arrived home. She looked behind her and found an empty street. A cold breeze whistled. She was just being paranoid. A noise to her left called her attention, but again, there was nothing but a street lamp. Wait- wasn't there a surveillance camera at that spot…? As fear slowly enveloped her face and she made the decision to run towards the door, she felt the air in her lungs being forcefully expelled and darkness invaded her vision.

Chrollo stood next to her with his hood on and the purple scarf hiding the rest of his face, making his only visible feature his gray eyes. He dragged the waitress towards the alley and walked a good distance away from the main street. Next, he tied her legs and arms and gagged her with the strips made out of his rags. Finally, he waited for her to recover her bearings because he was sure she wouldn't understand any word he said due to the pain.

It took her around five minutes of wheezing, coughing and trashing to calm down. She began to make noises, but he grabbed her by her short hair and she whimpered. She was trembling.

"Shhh, calm down. You're alright. I won't hurt you. Look at me, you remember me, don't you? I'm the kid you spoke to at the cafe. Just look at me. Everything will be alright," he said in the most soothing voice he could muster. It worked. The woman calmed down. At least she did, until she looked at him. Her eyes shone in recognition and then her tears dried. He almost smiled. A sudden fire ignited in her eyes as she furrowed her brows. She began to struggle harder and made louder noises. That wouldn't do.

He dropped her and crouched down to look her in the eyes. He could feel her heavy breaths. Her mascara was trailing down her face in black tears, drool was gathering at the corner of her mouth and she shook uncontrollably, yet her eyes remained defiant. There was a fierce determination behind them, mixed with anger and fear. Why? What did she hide behind those fake expressions?

As Kimi stared at those emotionless grey eyes, something deep inside her understood that she was going to die. She wasn't going to make it out of this. However, she was currently fighting that certainty with all she had. _I just need one chance_, she thought, _one chance and I can escape. I need to do this._ A single face flashed through her mind. Her little baby. Even as an overwhelming amount of malice crashed down on her, even if her instincts were going haywire due to the sheer presence of the predator staring her down, she had to fight against it. Because… because she couldn't leave her baby alone in a world with this monster.

"You hate me, don't you?" he said with a hint of sadness that caught her off guard, but his eyes remained dispassionate, "I won't keep you long, I know you have things to return to," she flinched. Did he know? "You don't believe me?" She did not, he couldn't possibly know- unless… for how long was he stalking her!? "Well, I can assure you nothing will happen to _any_ of you. I just need your help. I need your help in order to answer some questions and then I'll let you go, okay?" Was he insane!? What kind of shit was he on about!? Wh-

"Our time is limited," like a switch had been flipped, all emotion drained from his voice and it chilled her to her bones. He was growing impatient, she understood that fact, "Are you trying to delay our conversation deliberately? If you don't stop struggling, I'll kill you." She needed to find her chance. She stopped moving and glared at him. "Good choice. Since I need you to answer some questions, I will have to remove that cloth in your mouth. If you try to make any loud noises, I'll kill you. Do you understand?" After a few seconds, she faintly nodded.

Chrollo placed his hands on her face and she didn't flinch. She was captivating. Thankfully he had managed to read her and find a way to calm her down. He saw himself reflected on those pale eyes of hers. They weren't that different. There was a connection, somewhere. He removed the cloth and threw it to the side. The woman kept glaring at him, not moving an inch and without making any noise.

"Now then, first question," he said, anticipation building in his chest, "Let's start by breaking the tension a little bit. What's your name?"

"Ki...mi…" she said with a hoarse voice. Did he hit her that hard? He was holding back a lot of his strength, but he had to act quickly. That sounded painful.

"Kimi. You can call me Chrollo. I wish I…" he trailed off. What was he saying? "I wish I didn't have to do this to talk to you, but I couldn't wait. I don't know how else- nevermind. That's not important," he said. Yeah, that wasn't relevant right now. He had limited time, "What do you think it is... that makes someone a human being?"

"...that's h-hard... to answer…" she said, slowly looking up towards the night sky. Was that a joke? No... She had seen something for the first time in those eyes of his as he asked that question. An unbearable loneliness. That desperate hint in his tone… she didn't think it was false this time. He was a kid, suddenly she understood. She would be a monster for what she was about to do. But… It was either that or dying. She had to lie to him, to take advantage of his weakness and then attack when he was at his lowest. That's what she needed to do to survive. To see her baby again. Then why, why did her throat tighten to such degree? "...I think...nothing…"

"Nothing…?" he repeated.

She hardened her resolve and looked back down until her gaze locked to his again, "...there's nothing… that makes us human… we just are…" she said, "... you just are…"

For some reason, the anger in her eyes had vanished and another emotion had replaced it, one he didn't recognize. The sudden change took him by surprise, long enough that he couldn't process her answer before his instincts screamed at him. There was something wrong. From above. A glint. His head darted to the left, narrowly avoiding a projectile. He immediately took a quick glance up, but there was no one. Where did that attack…? A sound made his blood run cold. He allowed his body to react.

"HE-!" a sickening crunch echoed through the alley as Chrollo twisted Kimi's neck. Her body twitched for a few seconds until it stopped moving altogether. She laid completely still. He stared at her corpse, his breathing slightly shaky. He checked behind him and saw a rusty nail, buried into the ground. She had attacked him, somehow, and tried to call for help. He turned to look at her again. Her neck was turning purple already. He warned her that if she made any loud noises, he would kill her. Did she want to die that badly? She didn't hate her job that much, did she?

"I thought I heard something!" A voice said in the distance. He sparked to action, grabbing the strips and securing them in his pockets before he slipped into the shadows. That… that had not been a flawless operation.


	3. Chapter 3: The coin falls

**Hey!**

**First of all, apologies for the delay. Immediately after I wrote the first two chapters my schedule was filled with work and college, so I couldn't write anything else. But now I have returned because of the quarantine. I'll do my best to release 1 chapter a week until this is over. **

**Also, thank you all for the follows, favs and reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed the beginning of the story and I hope you'll embark with me all the way through this crazy voyage. In any case, I'll sink with the ship.**

* * *

Chapter 3: The coin falls

* * *

Oriana Mitsugu pulled the handbrake, stepped on the clutch and allowed the steering wheel to spin on its own. A familiar screeching noise followed. She immediately released the handbrake and stepped hard on the gas, increasing the pitch of the wheels' cries. The same hand that was grabbing the handbrake reached for the steering wheel and stabilized the vehicle as it rounded the corner. The wind and the centripetal force sent her long, raven hair into a frenzy, but her dark eyes remained fixed on the road. She found the chill of the night strangely comforting. As the screech died out, the sound of her siren filled the leftover silence. Her other hand thumped against the outside of the door to a beat that only she could hear, holding a lit cigarette between her fingers.

As the engine revved up and her speed increased by the second, the lights of the city merged into thin lines. She swerved through the few cars that adorned the streets and flipped off some guy that seemed to insult her. Better safe than sorry. She brought the cig to her mouth and took a deep breath, blowing smoke through the open window. She allowed herself a tiny smile. However, as expected, it was short-lived. She had arrived at her destination.

She slowed down and parked in front of a somewhat aged building, probably an apartment complex. It was ten stories tall, painted a dark-yellow color and had multiple windows per floor. So, most likely there were several small apartments. In front of the building's entrance stood six clearly distraught civilians and two police officers. She inhaled what was left of her cig then flicked it on the ground, the adrenaline dying out and her heartbeat returning to normal. Time to work.

She stepped out of the car and took a quick look around. The streets were completely empty. The only sounds that she was able to catch were the conversations going on with the civilians and the officers, and the sound of a couple of sirens in the distance. She narrowed her eyes as she stared into the open, before she quickly made her way towards her peers and the ever-grim yellow tape that prevented anyone from entering the alleyway between the buildings. Reaching conclusions so early and without any significant intel was dangerous for someone in her line of work. As of this instant she had only heard Tashiro's unofficial report through the quick call that had cut short her poker night, and that wasn't reliable information.

One of the officers noticed her approaching form and immediately stood upright. Oriana felt a wave of warm satisfaction course through her body at the subtle hints of respect and perhaps a slight bit of fear her subordinates showed when she was around, but her stoic expression remained frozen in place. Her reputation was crucial after all.

"Detective!" the officer stated, interrupting the conversation going on between the civilians and they simultaneously turned to look at her. She sighed. She planned on eavesdropping a little bit, but that was not an option now.

Most of the civilians' faces bordered on incredulous as they sized her up. She easily shrugged their stares off, after all, she was used to those kinds of disbelieving looks. In fact, right now she was sure it wasn't just because she was a woman or because of her small size. She was wearing an oversized navy-blue fluffy jacket, not quite what one would expect a detective to wear. However, two of the civilians stood out to her; an elderly couple if the way the woman practically hung on to the man's arm was any indication. Their looks were irrelevant to her, what caught her attention was a certain unrest in their gazes- how they both twitched slightly when they made eye-contact with her, the paleness of their skin, the way the man's breath hitched in his throat and the woman's grip tightened around his arm-

"Please come this way, the lieutenant ordered-" the same officer spoke until her glare shut him up. He seemed slightly surprised and confused, like he didn't know what he had done wrong. She squashed her annoyance for the time being and took that instant to scan him. Brown or black eyes with short light-brown hair that was barely visible under his cap. No facial hair. Coarse and thick eyebrows that helped her read his emotions despite his unmoving, hardened features. She didn't recognize him, so that meant that he was a new recruit or a transferred unit, though she reckoned it was the former. He still reeked of the police academy and naïvety. What a joy.

He was about to say something, but she beat him to it, "What's your name, officer?"

"Uh," he started, clearly confused. His eyes moved downwards, probably to look at the badge stitched to the right side of his uniform where his full name was on clear display on a silver tag. Then he met her impassive stare again. He repeated this sequence twice and she ignored the not-so-subtle hint twice as well. Finally, she raised an expectant eyebrow. He understood, at last, and said, "Hirome, sir?"

"Hirome," she repeated and nodded, committing the name to memory. She didn't care for last names, so she didn't mind that he left it out. She continued, "Then, were you saying…?"

"Right," he said, shaking his head, "Lt. Tashiro ordered for your presence as soon as you arrived. I am to escort you to- uh, to the body," he finished uncomfortably, not bothering to mask it, "Follow me, this way."

Her eyes darted to the old couple, who were now whispering to one another. Fuck. She wanted to interrogate them. It was quite obvious that they could give her valuable information. They had seen something, she was almost sure, but Tashiro would nag her if she made him wait. Time was essential, she knew. She bit on her lower lip, "Doshi," she said simply and the remaining officer straightened up.

"Detective?" he said, lowering his torso to make sure he was hearing her correctly.

She approached him and, as subtle as possible, signaled to the couple on the back, "Those two," she whispered and recognition filled the dark eyes of the officer.

"I think they're the ones that found the body, or at least they're the ones that called first," he whispered back. Interesting.

"Keep them here 'til I return. I wanna ask them some questions," she said and roughly patted him on the arm, as she couldn't quite reach his shoulders. She spun around and walked towards Hirome, who patiently watched the exchange. She nodded at him, "Lead the way." Said officer nodded back and turned to the yellow tape that blocked the entrance to the alley. He took out his dignified walkie-talkie and stated their position and identities, then waited for further instructions.

Meanwhile, she allowed her eyes to wander, looking for anything that seemed out of place. Almost instantly her interest was piqued. There was a street lamp to her right, in the middle of the sidewalk. It was rather mundane. Nearly all the street lamps in Esuha were identical and this one was no different. Except for the single tiny red wire that peeked shyly from a small opening on the center of the pole, easily more than twice her height, so around 3.5 to 4 meters high. Could it be- Yeah, most certainly one of those ultra high-tech surveillance cameras from the Soteria Program, or what remained of it. She quickly turned to the ground and searched for leftover electronics, or anything really. There was nothing. Her unease had officially reached level two.

Her hand brushed against her holster, hidden underneath the fluffiness that was her jacket. Could she possibly shoot a camera down from this distance? Easily. Without leaving a single mark on the pole? Nearly impossible. And cut it off so cleanly? No, not without a Quirk. They _had_ to-

Hirome's radio sparked to life and she jumped ever so slightly, glaring at the back of his head. Two times he had interrupted her thinking, How dare he. She snuffed out her petty and irrational anger in a second. This time it wasn't his fault, so she would let it slide. Back to her previous line of thought, they _had_ to review the footage, though knowing old man Juzo he was certainly already at it. However, that didn't soothe her unease in the slightest. Ever since she received the call from Tashiro less than fifteen minutes ago, her intuition had told her that this was going to be a troublesome case. She sighed. She needed to ignore that voice for now. As she tried to clear her mind of any bias, two figures emerged from the dark alley. Two more officers.

"Hirome," one of them said somberly and with a hint of worry. He then looked at her and saluted, "Detective Oriana, Lt. Tashiro is expecting you." She recognized him, but had to do a double-take to make sure she wasn't mistaking him for someone else. Nobu? No way. He looked way older than she remembered. When was the last time she had seen him? About six months ago? Perhaps it was the horrendous lighting, but the senior officer had seemed to age at least ten years. His receding hairline was quite apparent due to the absence of his ever-present cap, which he now held on his right hand, and the creases on his forehead had extended all the way to his brow, which almost hid his sunken eyes. A single look at those eyes and she understood instantly. There was something that this kind, middle-aged man wore on his sleeve, and it was his love for his daughter. He couldn't say more than three sentences without somehow expressing his pride in being her father. The woman really must've been young. The sight had clearly disturbed him. What a mess. As much as she wanted to provide a bit of support to the senior that had aided her so much in the past, she had a job to do. Trying to convey as much of her emotions as she could, she gave him a small reassuring, at least she hoped it was reassuring, smile and a nod.

She noticed how his expression softened the tiniest bit before she turned to the other officer, an imposing woman by the name of Fumiko. Her posture was stiff and her face was frozen in place, as hard to read as ever. The only things that hinted to her current state of mind were her twitchy fingers close to her handgun and how sickly pale her usual tanned-skin looked.

Oriana knew these police squads didn't deal with many dead bodies, not nearly as much as they had to in the past or in more violent areas, but they still saw the occasional suicide and homicide. Regarding the latter, approximately four to five cases each year, though she heard that last year was incredibly tame with only two. Additionally, every single culprit had used a weapon to perpetrate the murder, be it a firearm or a knife. Taking all of this, the officers' palpable discomfort and Tashiro's words into account, and she had a somewhat clear image of the crime scene and the state of the body. She mentally scolded herself again. You have to see first, observe second and then, then you can analyze. No skipping steps.

"You-" Nobu began to speak, but Hirome quickly raised a hand.

"I'll escort her," the young recruit stated. She was unable to see his expression and Nobu just looked as tired as before. They probably knew each other. It wasn't commonplace for a junior to interrupt a senior, so given their interactions that was the most likely conclusion.

Hirome held the tape up and motioned for her to come through when she was already on the other side. She saw his eyebrows rise in confusion and then fall into a frown, before she turned to the other officers.

"Nobu, Fumiko," she greeted softly. She wasn't one to disturb the mournful ambiance, less so in a situation like this, but there was a task that needed to be done. "I need one of you to search the area for any electronic parts you may find on the ground," she pointed at the street lamp behind her and the three officers turned to look at it, "Don't go too far, just before the next intersection is enough," Fumiko nodded, her stare blank, but Nobu's eyes widened in realization.

"You mean…?" he began, but trailed off before he could finish.

She shook her head, "Nothing, just making sure we cover all the leads we can," she explained and Fumiko stepped forwards.

"I'll go," she said.

"If you manage to find anything, then contact the lieutenant over the radio and we'll come to you," Oriana instructed as the unusually bulky woman secured her cap over her short, white hair.

"Understood," she said and approached the yellow tape.

"Be careful," Oriana said and the woman looked at her with red eyes that seemed to glow under the faint light. The only response she received was a grunt before she left the alley. She sighed. In that span of time her vision had grown more used to the dark and she could see how far the alley extended until it was blocked by a building. A cold breeze whistled. She shivered and quickly stuffed her hands inside her jacket. The chill of the night was more sinister than before and she no longer found it comforting.

"Keep going straight, then take the first right and then the second left. It ain't that far," Nobu explained to Hirome, who was staring blankly at the darkness that awaited them. He appeared to be lost in thought. She had already grasped the gist of the situation, or so she thought at least. It seemed that this was his first time dealing with a dead body and the veteran officer was making sure that he was ready. She gave him a couple more seconds before she began to walk at a quick pace, straight into the darkness. Her action seemed to have brought the young man back to reality. She heard fast steps catching up to her, until he matched her pace a few feet ahead. Well, apparently he took his job as an escort seriously.

As they advanced deeper into the alley, a strong smell of garbage, a mix of expired food, waste and humidity, invaded her nostrils. It wasn't unfamiliar for her, but still mildly unpleasant, though she gave no outer reaction. The shadows also grew steadily, making it more difficult to see. Without thinking it twice she took out her flashlight and pointed it at the ground, moving it from left to right and back again as they walked in a somewhat tense silence; a silence that was soon broken by the recruit.

"You looking for something?" he asked. She continued to walk and scan the ground.

"Not really," she said.

"Seems like you are. You also sent Officer Fumiko to look for electronics. Why?" he continued, oblivious to her growing annoyance. She had to hold down a groan of frustration. He sounded earnest enough, but this wasn't the time to be asking questions. _Figure it out,_ she wanted to tell him, but it would be unfair. He needed to be taught how to think.

"...I have a hunch," she said softly, keeping her eyes on the ground, "I need more evidence to know if I'm on the right track, or just plain wrong. Until I know for sure, it would be irresponsible of me to influence others with an uncertain theory."

"I see," he said. She nodded silently, feeling glad that he understood her explanation, "So you already have an idea on, well uh, what happened?"

"No, like I said, it's just a hunch," she said and thankfully he didn't add anything else.

They approached the first opening to their right and, as they rounded the corner, something sparkled under her flashlight. She practically jumped towards it, as if it was an animal that could escape.

"This is…" she muttered before she wildly bit down on the grip of the flashlight to keep it steady as she took out some pliers and a small, transparent, plastic bag. She picked up the object and placed it inside her bag, staring at it intently. It was some kind of metal, surprisingly heavy, silver-grey in color and with an uneven triangular shape the size of her hand. It looked like it was ripped off of something. Maybe… just maybe…

"What's that?" Hirome's voice came from behind her and she shook her head, standing up quickly. No time for this. Old man Juzo would be able to determine if this was part of their cameras. Until then, it was nothing. However, as much as she hated it, the image grew clearer.

"Nothing, but could be something. Let's go," she said and put the bag inside her jacket, before continuing on her way.

"_Nothing_. Whatever you say, chief," Hirome clicked his tongue and murmured under his breath, though she heard it clearly. Her eyebrow twitched. The disrespectful little shit. Lucky for him she had other more important things to think about at the moment. _Two strikes out of three, champ. _

As they took the second left turn, she was brought out of her musings by a couple of bright, white lights and the flow of activity just behind another line of yellow tape. She counted several heads moving around, officers and EMTs, working as fast and as efficiently as they could. She found the person she was looking for talking to the two officers stationed just behind the yellow tape.

The lieutenant looked nothing like one would expect by hearing his deep and severe baritone, or going by his reputation. He looked _young_, much younger than he really was and she knew for a fact that he was older than her. He was still a couple of heads taller than her, but his short stature was one of his defining features, that and his baby face. Round, big and deceptively innocent-looking brown eyes hid a cold and calculative mind and a fierce sense of justice. Every time she looked at him and noticed just how out of place he seemed to be, she wondered if she looked the same. Probably. However, of all her experiences working with other officers and detectives around the country, she respected and maybe even admired his style the most. She also enjoyed his straightforward and blunt way of speaking, even if he was often too formal.

By the way, today was Friday, right? Well, technically speaking it was around thirty minutes past midnight, so Saturday. As soon as she was close enough, she took out her badge from within her jacket and threw it towards Lt. Tashiro.

The man easily caught it with a gloved hand and, ignoring what just transpired, finished speaking to the other officer while she closed the remaining distance. She found a bit of satisfaction in the recruit's shocked expression. The satisfaction was short-lived, however, as a new smell registered in her mind, one that overpowered even the stench of the alleyway. She didn't know how to describe it properly, as it wasn't exactly the putrid smell of decay, but it was often present in scenes like this and so her mind had grown used to associating it with death. It was strong enough to make her eyes water, though she blinked the tears away.

"Detective Oriana, it is good to see you," the lieutenant's voice made her hackles rise. Something was wrong. He sounded more severe than usual. She immediately ducked under the tape, giving a faint nod to the officers at guard, and approached the white blanket that hid the body from view.

At some point she had put on a pair of sterilized gloves, though she didn't know exactly when. She carefully picked up one edge of the blanket and moved it down to reveal the head. Horrified, bloodshot eyes stared at her and she unconsciously let go of the blanket, letting it fall just above the body's shoulders. There were multiple trails of dried blood coming out of her eyes, nostrils and the corners of her mouth that contrasted against the pale white of her skin, and it looked like the cloth around her head did its job of soaking up the blood if the crimson color was any indication. Her neck was twisted gruesomely and it resembled a wrung-out towel, with lumps and knots that were a shade of purple so dark they appeared black in color. Oriana looked up towards the top of the buildings and then back at the body. The fall would be roughly thirty meters. No way in hell this was a suicide, this… did-

"The medical team arrived a few minutes before you did," Tashiro said from behind her, "I personally asked for Meiko, that's why it took them a while. She has already informed me of her initial diagnosis. Meiko, tell the Detective what you found."

Oriana's eyes were still glued to the corpse's, but out of the corner of her vision she noticed a figure in a white robe crouching to her side. Probably Meiko. She was an excellent EMT with an amazing Quirk for her line of work. She didn't know how it worked, only that it was like some kind of sonar, that it had a cooldown and that she could perform accurate autopsies in a fraction of the time.

"Alright," Meiko said, her voice muffled by a mask, "Well, I'll start by saying that the basis for my diagnosis was to rule out suicide. Jumpers tend to exhibit fractures around the thoracolumbar junction, of which Kimi presents none," Kimi. So that was her name. "Head trauma is another common factor, but despite the state of her neck, her cranium is intact. No limb injuries either. All in all, I would say that suicide is highly unlikely. Additionally, there were some wounds around her wrists and ankles, probably caused by friction. I found no sign of sexual assault, however."

Indeed. She had begun to connect the dots. Just a single look at the body was enough to know that suicide was unlikely. Tashiro probably reached that conclusion, as well as old man Juzo. That explained the sirens in the distance. They were searching for a culprit. This was a murder, and a Quirk-related one at that. Someone had restrained Kimi, somehow and for some unknown reason, then had killed her and left her body here. Either an individual or a group of people.

"Regarding the time and cause of death," Meiko continued, "I would say she died less than thirty minutes ago, due to cervical fracture which severed her spinal cord. Her C1 to C4 vertebrae were completely shattered, and the bones' fragments punctured her vertebral artery, which caused internal bleeding. I can say that, at the very least her death was instant," she finished in an uncertain tone, "The amount of force that needs to be exerted in order to do something like this is… nothing short of monstrous. That's all. I'll continue writing the report. Lieutenant, detective," with that the woman stood up and left.

Troublesome, really really troublesome. They needed to act quick, "Hand me her profile," she said and extended her hand in the direction where she thought Tashiro was, not bothering to turn around. Information. In order to elaborate a suspects' list, she needed more information. So far the only ones who might've held relevant intel were the elderly couple from before, the ones that supposedly found the body. She felt someone place a tablet on her opened hand and she brought it close to her face. It was Kimi's profile. At the top of the page, the first thing she saw was a picture of Kimi smiling brightly at the camera. She was pretty. Her stomach churned. Before she continued, she softly placed the blanket over her pale head once more. _Rest in peace Kimi, I'll take it from here._ Oriana hastily buried her emotions and continued to coldly scan the information.

"Full name, unimportant. Age, unimportant. Blood type, unimportant. Family… could be important, must investigate further. Two-year-old child, unimportant. Who and where is the father though? This says they signed their divorce a year ago and she had full custody. Interesting. He is a prime suspect. Need to investigate further. Quirk, important. Registered under the name Magnetic Pull. She is able to attract metallic objects towards her general direction, though with great concentration she can extend the point of attraction outwards a few centimeters from her body. She must see the object first before she's able to affect it, after which she has roughly thirty seconds of control before she has to see the object again. Maximum registered pull force, 20 kg. Maximum registered velocity of a 1g object, 50 m/s. Maximum range, 4 meters. Updated this year," she mumbled, processing the information as fast as possible, "Work, important. Waitress, working for the Heroicafe at Florren Plaza. Must go and interrogate. Did she work today?" she wondered aloud and shook her head, "Did you find anything else around here?"

"Her purse. The forensic team is going through it, if you want to check it," Tashiro answered and she turned to him. He was standing next to her, scrolling through another tablet with a humorless expression no young adult could possibly replicate, his messy dirty-blond hair out for the world to see. Such a rare occurrence. He was probably double-checking the reports before he sent them to old man Juzo.

"Later," she said and stood as well. "By the way, I found this on our way here," at that she produced the transparent bag with the metal piece inside and held it in front of the lieutenant.

"What's that?" he said after a glance.

"Could be something, could be nothing," she answered, taking her first look around the area, "I was hoping that Juzo would be able to finally decide that for me."

"Send him some pictures. He's quite passionate about the ordeal, just so you know." Mmm. So the old man also shared her sentiment. She sighed. Hopefully they were all wrong. Using the tablet in her hand she snapped three pictures of the item and sent them to her boss. Afterward, she began to observe the scene. Between the six officers, Tashiro's assistant Touka who was giving orders to the forensics team which was comprised of two individuals, Meiko and the other two EMTs, the lieutenant and her, they were a total of fourteen people inside this pretty small area. It was a bit crowded, but she had worked in worse locations.

Wordlessly, she started to pace around the area and the lieutenant followed. She shone her flashlight behind a green dumpster and, finding nothing, hugged the ground to look underneath. Nothing. "Is the tracker coming or what?" she asked, knowing that the lieutenant had probably already contacted the Fat Gum Agency.

Tashiro took a deep breath before answering, "It seems that their tracker has been incapacitated. It took us a few minutes, but we managed to get a hold of a Hero by the name of Blue String, a reliable tracker. He should be arriving in two hours."

"That's too long," she replied instantly and without thinking. Two hours. The trail would be cold by then. Incredible. Were there no other trackers in Esuha?

Tashiro stopped reading for a second and regarded her with cold eyes, "You think so as well, it seems," he said and she caught a bit of uncertainty in his expression, "Is it your intuition?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, no point beating around the bush. "What about Juzo?" she asked, knowing full well that the other person the lieutenant was referring to was their boss.

"As soon as he saw the pictures of the body he ordered twenty-three teams to go on patrol," he said in a neutral voice that betrayed no emotion. Hearing that froze her for an instant. Twenty-three!? That was more than half of their available vehicles, all of them in this zone!? Holy shit.

"Probably to monitor streets and areas that lack video surveillance. He assumed the enemy knows the cameras' positions and is avoiding them deliberately," she mumbled aloud. That was the common response to movements of known, dangerous criminal organizations. Then did the old man think it was most likely a group? A group… She widened her eyes and slowly looked up. What if…? "Send a request for a Hero with the ability to fly," she said, staring at the edges' of the building's roof.

At Tashiro's prolonged silence, she turned to him. She tried to convey her feeling of urgency as best as she could.

"Quick. Tell them to patrol the area and to make sure they can be seen from the ground while also flying as high as they can," she said.

"Alright, I'll give the Agency a call," Tashiro conceded after a few moments of eye-contact. She nodded and returned her gaze upwards. "I swear, it seems like I'm looking for a murderer while you two are looking for-"

A loud bang interrupted Tashiro and she immediately halted all thoughts. Her body moved on instinct, one hand rested on top of her handgun ready to take it out at a moment's notice, while her eyes darted from side to side trying to determine what had happened. The ringing in her ears died out and she noticed she was breathing heavily. Tashiro was standing in front of her, covering his left ear with his left hand. He turned to look at her, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. She sighed and let go of her weapon. Two seconds had passed.

"I apologize, I forgot to inform you. There seems to be a loose piece of metal on that ladder," he pointed to a rusty ladder on the side of the building, not that far off the ground, "The wind occasionally makes it crash against the side of the building. Again, my apologies."

She merely nodded, getting her breathing under control. Suddenly, the tablet she held in her hand began to vibrate. Someone was calling. "It's Juzo," she said after checking the lock screen. She took a couple of deep breaths, then answered the call. A man with wild, unruly white hair and a grey beard appeared on screen.

"Hey Oriana, sorry that it took me this long to get in contact with you. I had to attend to _some_ matters," the man said with clear anger in his voice, despite his laid back posture, "Is that Tashiro as well? Good. Leave it to me, to call at the most opportune moment. Anyway, about the pictures you sent, it's without a doubt part of one of our cameras, specifically the exterior case. You can imagine my surprise at seeing this, I mean, no one had informed me that one of our cameras had gone offline. But it seems that the supervisor thought it was due to a maintenance that was scheduled to begin at 8 am today. Needless to say, I will speak to him later."

That explained his irritation. Juzo had zero tolerance for those kinds of mistakes. Poor kid. "Did you review the footage?" she said.

"I'm watching it right now, as we speak. The last thirty seconds of recorded footage before it abruptly went offline. It's my fourth time watching it," the man said and indeed his stare was slightly off to the side, "It's quite intriguing. I can clearly see our victim, alive and well, taking out what seem to be keys from her purse, turning to look behind her and then-" he paused, "Nothing. The transmission ends 7 minutes and 34 seconds past midnight."

"We received the first call 16 minutes past midnight," Tashiro said. Around them, the EMTs were getting ready to leave and take the body to the morgue. Oriana felt a wave of nausea hit her all of a sudden. Less than **ten** minutes. That's how long it took for the pretty, young woman to end up like that. What did they do to her? And why? What was going through their heads as they committed such a heinous crime? She bit part of her nail off. Humans were really disgusting. Her eyes widened. This was not the time to ponder such things. They had to capture them, no matter what. She concentrated on the video and found Juzo staring straight at her.

"There's something else you should know," the Chief of the Police Force in the Kansai Region began, his tone way more serious, "Three weeks ago, the city council approved one of my initiatives. I handpicked a few of our high-end cameras to be reinforced with an extremely tough alloy, capable of taking a constant onslaught of more than a thousand bullets without a single scratch. Unfortunately, it seems that this is one of those cameras," he showed a toothy smile despite his words, "Fortunately, that is not all. Seizing the opportunity, I proposed another initiative to the council, one they quickly approved as well. We implanted tracking devices inside all of these prototypes," he was grinning by this point.

Oriana gulped. Was that really the best course of action? Yeah, they could find the device, but what if the group had already left it? Or what if they knew and they laid a trap? There were too many unknown variables. Their chances of capturing the group were extremely low, the crazy old man would surely know that. It was a great risk with an uncertain reward. Why then? What did he hope to achieve? As she stared at the unnaturally pointy white teeth in his smile, she felt anxiety bubbling up inside her chest. Suddenly, a raucous laughter coming from the speakers on the device filled her ears. Juzo was laughing. She felt it had no mocking note to it, but still her anger spiked.

"You don't need to look so scary, both of you. Of course I don't intend to put my men under unnecessary danger. Rest easy." Then why send twenty-three teams on patrol after guessing this was the work of a dangerous group? Something didn't add up. "We'll simply provide support to the Heroes, as always."

* * *

Chrollo Lucilfer glared at a moving police car from his crouching position at the edge of a building's roof. The car maintained a slow-pace, the red and blue of its bright flashing lights illuminating the streets indiscriminately. They had turned off the sirens by now, leaving the night to its current deafening silence. His fingers flexed and unflexed as he took deep breaths. _That woman_. In the end she didn't care about her life, or about the other supposed person she was afraid for. She had used him to end her own suffering and had given him two things in return; a cheap answer and even more questions.

_Nothing makes us human._ The more he thought about her words, the less sense they made. If there was nothing that made them human, then how were they any different from simple beasts? Why were certain actions described as humane and inhumane? He gritted his teeth. Someone like her didn't seem the type to ponder about such things, not even once in her lifetime. She probably didn't understand the question in the first place. Somewhere deep down, something ached. _We just are._ Nonsense.

He moved on to consider the look she gave him, one strange enough that had taken him by surprise. In the blink of an eye it had completely replaced the extreme anger written all over her face, like she had transformed into a different person altogether. Was it pity? Fear? No, he had seen those expressions way too many times. Whatever it was, it had transitioned into an attack that had almost connected. Another mistake from his part. She had possessed some kind of ability that allowed her to launch a projectile from such an unsuspecting angle. It caught him off-guard.

And because of that, because of his impatience and his impulsive actions, and because of her disregard for her life, he was stuck dealing with this. The police's response had been quick and more efficient than he had expected. The sirens had begun to grate his ears just a few minutes after he had left the alley and it seemed that they didn't care about the sleeping citizens. It was most likely a tactic to make the escaping culprit paranoid and to force a mistake. Fairly clever. And now they had gone silent. He entertained the thought of abandoning his position and making a run to another part of the city, maybe look for a place to rest, but he had decided to stay put for two reasons.

As he thought about the first one he glanced at the multiple holes he had drilled into the concrete with his now injured index finger. His emotional turmoil was clouding his judgment, so he wanted some time to regain his cool. There was no escaping the void, but at least he had more clarity after breathing for a bit. Following _that woman_ was not a good idea. Even if she had the answers to his questions? He hesitated. Yes, even if she had the answers. This was not the opportune time to strike. Regardless of what could've happened, he would've been forced to kill her in most scenarios. So, taking everything into account, it had been a dumb decision.

The second reason was pure curiosity. He wanted to analyze the police's movements, see how they reacted. It would also prove to be useful intel of how this place functioned. That must've been his priority from the very beginning. Chrollo engraved it into his mind, as forcefully as possible. For the time being it was more important than figuring out his purpose, because it would mean nothing if he was dead due to his own stupid mistakes. And he almost forgot-

At that moment, he caught movement from the corner of his eyes and his senses spiked at once. There was a figure moving through the air, upwards. In an instant, Chrollo moved to hide behind a huge A/C unit. Under the pale hue of the clouds, someone floated. It was a person. He couldn't discern any features from this distance, but it was undoubtedly humanoid in shape. His eyes narrowed slightly. Another one of these weird abilities. They seemed to be annoyingly common. What to do. Throw a projectile? No, it wouldn't reach so far. Furthermore, was it involved with the police? He would guess so. Did they know he was moving through the rooftops? No, it was probably a blind assumption seeing as their patrols hadn't found anything. A suspiciously quick assumption, nevertheless. But was it? How long did he spend lost in his mind trying to compose himself? He didn't know. It was still dark, though, with no indication that the sun was coming up any time soon. Additionally, if those abilities were as common as he theorized, then it would be natural to infer that the culprit might also have the ability to fly or to escape by other means. That was probably it.

He waited a few more seconds, his grey eyes stuck to the unmoving figure. Could it also have enhanced vision? Some way to see in the dark? Most likely. A slight dose of _something_ coursed through his veins, making him a bit wary. What was that feeling? Apprehension? No. Anticipation? Perhaps. Maybe this wouldn't be as simple as he initially thought. A foreign weight inside his jacket reminded him of another thing he needed to do. For some reason, he had forgotten to get some gloves when he stole this outfit and now he was certain that he had left fingerprints all over the camera he severed from the streetlamp, which is why he held onto the thing. Said camera was sturdier than it seemed at first, he had been forced to use more strength than he had expected. Thus he needed to clean it before he dumped it. What a drag. But it had to be done. Let it be a lesson.

So, what was the best course of action? The safest option was to simply escape. He could easily sneak by the patrols and get to a secluded or abandoned place to spend the night. Then, in the morning, he would make a new plan to get information. Or he could use this opportunity to see the local police in action and determine a couple of things. Perhaps he could interrogate some, to get more intel on this place. If he wanted to lay low he needed to not act suspicious, at the very least know the name of the area and the country and definitely he needed more info on their strange abilities. But did he want to risk a possible confrontation? He was confident in his skill, however, anything could happen in battle, even more so when your opponent's ability and its limits were unknown variables. On the other hand, he knew that backing down at the first sign of conflict was a mistake. He should be able to manage it. Though, so far, it seemed that he didn't. Fuck. Two sides of him clashed, neither relenting, when he suddenly knew exactly what to do. Whenever two sides of him didn't agree, they had to…

Chrollo Lucilfer took out the golden coin, which seemed to hum excitedly at his conclusion. It felt heavier than before. He twirled it between his fingers, smearing a bit of his blood on its surface due to the open wounds on his index finger. Why did it feel so right to hold it? What connection did they share? He gripped it tightly, assigning a side to his two options, before he launched it. As he watched it spin in slow motion, he realized that he wished it to land on a specific side. Perhaps he preferred to take that course of action. Regardless, he would do as the coin dictated. This was its purpose after all. He was sure it was made solely for this. He caught the coin and opened his hands to reveal a spider coated in blood.


End file.
